HEALTH & ALLIED HEALTH
I will help treat you!
Whenever we got sick or injured, we long to hospitals and call for a doctor. The doctor comes in, puts his/her stethoscope on our chest asks about our symptoms. After we tell them everything, they suggest us to drop some samples to run some test and diagnose the problem and get back to another patient. After that everything is handled by the allied health professionals from taking samples and running tests to diagnose the disease and report to the doctor. According to the report provided, the doctor suggests necessary medication or therapies and we thank the doctor. Now its time to realize that the doctor works in a team that consists majority of allied health professionals who helps us diagnose our difficulties.
Allied health professionals use scientific principles to practice diagnosis, evaluate and treat acute and chronic diseases. They also work on dietary and nutrition services which help in maintaining our health. Allied health professionals are non-physician health service providers and non-nurse which include therapists, pathologists, dental hygienists, dieticians, sonographers, radiographers, and so on.
To further understand, we can categorize the allied health profession in two broad categories i.e. technicians and therapists. Technicians are more like assistants whereas therapists are technologists. There is a slight difference between these two in terms of their training and working nature. Technicians need to learn about the procedures they need to perform in the field and which only lasts for less than two years. This is way less time consuming than therapists and also little less in knowledge. That’s why technicians need to work under the guidance of therapists.
In average allied health professional consists of about 60% of total healthcare professionals. They can choose to work along with physicians, nurses, dentists, and pharmacist or independently being a specialist in exercise, nutrition, health education, and daily function. A doctor always suggests the patient about his/her allied health care needs but a patient needs to be open about his/her needs.
The involvement of a huge number of workforce in various sectors like a physician, nursing, dentistry, and pharmacy has made the health care industry one of the largest industries. The healthcare industry for most of the country holds an average of 9% of its GDP with the USA having the highest of 18%. This data is estimated to be upraised to 20% by 2025. The demand for healthcare professionals will be doubled by then. Jobs in the industry will grow by 3 million on average.
The on-going pandemic has proven the importance of the healthcare workforce. The highest workforce bearing industry has also been proven insufficient at this time. But it is not because of a lack of knowledge. It is a lack of realization about the most important thing in our society. Heroes wear white coats not capes. The world needs more heroes wearing coats in the upcoming days.
However, the increasing possibility has created a tough competition and raised the bar. To be a health care professional one should acquire a 2 years degree in the specific field which he/she chooses. But professionals pursuing a bachelor’s or a master’s degree are in high demand. Before the degrees, one should be mentally prepared to go through that path. Because without passion and interest, everything will be a burden.
